Method of making shoes.



E. BROTHERS.

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES.

APPLICATION FILED 1ULY24. ms.

Patented 1m. 31

BROTHERS, 0F LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF MAKING SHOES.

Original application filed August 21, 1915, Serial No.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1918.

46,662. Divided and this application filed July 24,

1918. Serial No. 246,522.

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, ELI BROTHERS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lynn, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Methods of Making Shoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to methods of making shoes, this application being a division of my earlier application Serial No. 46,662, filed on August 21, 1915.

It is a well recognized fact that under some conditions in the manufacture of shoes, as for example wherethe upper of the shoe is so cut that it is comparatively small for the last or where the last is shaped in a peculiar manner, the best results require that the upper be pulled to some extent before the shoe is subjected to the customary pulling-over operation, in order to locate the margin of the upper in a more convenient position for engagement by the pulling-over grippers or to improve the final shape of the shoe. It has accordingly been the pracice in operating upon work of the abovementioned character, to seize the margin of the upper at the toe end of the shoe by hand oincers' or the like and to pull the upper forwardly on the last to'locate the margin in convenient position to be seized by the pulling-over toe gripper, such lengthwise pull also serving to set the upper materials snugly about the heel end portion of the last prior to the pulling-over operation. It w1ll be evident that such lengthwise pull on the upper, particularly in operating upon a last having a high toe, tends to retract the edges of the upper at the opposite sides of the forepart still farther from the proper locat on for engagement by the pulling-over side grippers. It has accordingly been attempted heretofore to draw the margin of the upper at the opposite sides of the shoe like- Wise into more convenient position for engagement by the pulling-over grippers by seizing and pulling different portions of the margin successively with hand pincers after releasing the margin at the toe end of the last, while attempting by pressure of the 0perators fingers upon the shoe to retain the margin of the upper in the. desired location at the different points t which the pull is successively applied. Such attempts, however, have met with very unsatisfactory results by reason of the fact that a pull applied locally at one side of the shoe tends to displace the upper laterally on the last to an indefinite extent depending upon the strength of the pull, and also by reason of the difiiculty of holding the upper at one point while applying a pull at another point. The transverse pull applied after the upper has been released at the toe end of the last also tends to pull the margin back from the toe end to some extent and thus partially to cotfiiteract the advantage of the longitudinal pu This invention aims to provide a method by the use of which the different portions of the margin at the toe end and the opposite sides of a last may be located properly for engagement by the pulling-over grippers, and whereby also improved results will be insured in the shaping of the shoe in consequence of drawing the upper snugly to the last about the heel end portion and transversely across the i'orepart prior to the final pulling-over operation, without tendency to displace the upper from its correct relation to the last. In accordance with the method herein provided, in one aspect of the method, the upper is subjected preliminarily not only to a longitudinal pull applied at the toe end of the last, but also to a pull applied at the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously to draw the margin of the upper at the opposite sides uniformly into convenient location to be seized by the pulling-over grippers, the transverse pull thus applied being eliected without any sub stantial tendency to displace the upper latorally and also serving to stretch the upper preliminarily across the forepart and to draw it toward the top of the last as an ad ditional insurance against any tendency for it to bridge from the top of the toe to the instep at the end of the final pulling-over operation. In a further aspect the invention contemplates applying a longitudinal pull to the upper first while the upper is free from transverse tension, in order to insure the best results in locating the margin in the correct relation to the toe and in.

3 which the upper isheld longitudinally, in

proportion to the tension applied transversely. In still another aspect, moreover,

the invention contemplates imparting to the upper at the opposite sides of the last a component of movement rearwardly with the object of insuring a better fit of the upper over the instep When the'upper is finally lasted.

For use in carrying outthe method there is shown herein, by way of example, various apparatus including portions of a machine more fully described as well as claimed in my earlier application of which this is a division, but it will be understood that the practice of the invention is not dependent upon the use of this or of any particular apparatus but may be carried out in various ways.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a portion of the'machine shown in my earlier application and illustrating by dotted lines the operation of pulling the upper longitudinally 1 Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section showing the relation of the shoe rest and the side grippers to the shoe prior to the transverse pull. on the upper;

Fig. 3 is a view of the machine in front elevation, with portions shown in vertical section and illustrating the operation of pulling the upper transversely;

Fig. a illustrates the manner in which the shoe may be held to retain the upper in the correct relation to the last while the shoe is presented to a pulling-over machine;

Fig. 5 illustrates the pulling-over operation, and

Fig. 6 illustrates the manner in which the upper of the shoe may be secured in pulledover condition.

The machine shown in Figs. 1, 2 andi3 comprises a frame having a horizontal portion 2 which is adapted to rest upon a work bench, and mounted upon the frame are toe .and side grippers comprising gripper casings 4 which are adjustable in guideways in the frame to position the grippers indifferent relations to one another for different sizes and shapes of shoes. Each of the gripper casings is channeled vertically, as shown in Fig. 3, and has secured to its upper end I open position.

a gripper jaw.6. Arcooperating'jaw 8 is pivoted to the casing and has a tail piece engaged by a roll 10 on the upper end of a bar 12 which is movable vertically'in the casing 1. The bar 12 is vertically slotted to receive a closing spring 14; confined under compression between the lower end of the slot in the bar and a cross plate 16 secured to the casing within the slot" in the pivot 24 and carrying a roll 26 which engages underneath the lever 20, the lever 22 having laterally inclined portion on its lower end arranged to engage a vertically movable head 28 mounted on a rod 30 which is arranged to be lifted by a treadle 32 and to-be depressed by a spring 34.

All three of the grippers are substantially identical in their construction and mode of operation, the lever 22.for each gripper engaging the adjacent side of the operating head 28. Normally the head 28 is maintained by the spring 34 in its lowermost position, the levers 22 being held by the head in such position that the gripper closing bars 12 are elevated and the gripper jaws permitted to open as shown in Figs. '1 and 2. When the treadle32 is depressed and the rod 30 is thereby elevated, the head 28 is raised above the contacting ends of the levers 22 and the closing springs 14L are thus permitted to operate to depress the bars 12 and cause the gripper jaws to grip the upper. The head 28carries anti-friction cut away below the toe gripper roll. .As a

result, the toe gripper lever 22, when the head 28 is raised, is permitted to swing under the influence of the closing spring 14: of the toe gripper before the side gripper levers are permitted to swing, and the toe gripper is thus closed upon the upper while the side grippers are still maintained in On the upper end of the rod 30 is pivoted at 38 a shoe restv member 40 which is arranged to engage the bottom of the shoe substantially at the ball of the shoe, the shoe engaging portion of this member being offset rearwardly from its pivot. A spring 42 connected to an extension of the member 40 tends to hold the member in an upright position, as shown in Fig. 1, while permit.

against the tension of the spring to a limit determined by an adjustable stop screw 44.

In the use of the apparatus above described in carrying out a portion of the method of this invention, the operator presents a shoe with the bottom of the forepart elevated slightly above the shoe rest member 40 and the margin of the upper projecting within the open toe gripper and it may be also within the jaws of the open side grippers. He then depresses the treadle 82 to an extent suflicient to permit the toe gripper to close upon the upper in the manner above described and to raise the member 40 into engagement with the shoe, and while holding the treadle in this position without further movement presses downwardly and rearwardly upon the rear portion of the shoe, causing the shoe and the rest L0 to swing rearwardly about the pivot 38, the toe end portion of the last thus being swung upwardly and backwardly from the toe gripper to cause this gripper to pull the upper longitudinally and set it about the heel end portion of the last. After the upper has been pulled longitudinally to the extent desired, and while maintaining the shoe in position to retain the longitudinal pull, the operator further depresses the treadle 32, thereby elevating the shoe and causing the side grippers to close upon the margin of theupper. During continued movement of the treadle and consequent upward movement of the shoe rest a pull is applied to the upper at the opposite sides of the last simultaneously by the action of the side grippers to pull the margin of the upper into more convenient location for engagement subsequently by the pulling-over grippers as well as to stretch it transversely and draw. it down to the last back of the toe. During the elevation of the shoe to effect the transverse pull the operator may maintain the shoe and the rest 40 in substantially the same relation'to the rod 30, thereby causing a further pull to be applied by the toe gripper during the transverse pull. If conditions, however, render it desirable, the operator may tip the shoe and the shoe rest forwardly toward to toe gripper to maintain the longitudinal tension substantially unchanged as the shoe is elevated to pull transversely or by a further 1 tipping movement may relax in some degree the longitudinal pull as the transverse pull is applied. By tipping the shoe forwardly, moreover, either while the shoe rest is held stationary, or during continued upward movement of the shoe rest, the operator is enabled to cause the upper to be drawn backwardly on the last by the side grippers to cause it to fit better over the instep when the shoe is finally lasted. During the upper pulling operation, also, the operator is enabled, by swinging the shoe laterally relatively to the grippers, to effect a relative adjustment of the upper and the last for straightening the tip Seam.

Having pulled the upper in the manner desired at the toe and at opposite sides, the operator places his hand upon the shoe substantially as indicated in Fig. 4% and thus applies pressure against the upper at the toe end of the last and at opposite sides adjacent to the edges of the last bottom to enable him to retain the upper substantially in its pulled and adjusted condition. He then releases the treadle 32, whereupon the shoe rest is depressed by the spring 34: and the grippers are permitted to open. lVhile still holding the shoe in this manner the operator may present it to a pulling-over machine of the usual type, as indicated in Fig. 5, the margin of the upper, in consequence of the previous stretching, being located in position convenient for engagement by the toe gripper 46 and the opposite side grippers 48 of this machine. The upper is then pulled over in the usual manner and is secured in pulled-over condition by the operation, for example, of the toe and side tackers shown at 50 in Fig. 6. In case a longer time is to intervene between the preliminary pulling of the upper and the subsequent pulling over operation, other expedients may of course be adopted for retaining the upper in place with its margin correctly located for engagement by the pulling-over machine grippers.

It will be evident that in addition to the other advantages herein pointed out, the method of this invention renders it practical to use in the manufacture of boots and shoes, uppers which are cut comparatively small for the last and thus results in an im portant saving of upper stock.

While the claims hereinafter appended ing shoes which consists in subjecting an upper on a last to a preliminary pulling and stretching operation including a longitudinal pull applied at the toe end of the last and a transverse pull applied at the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously, releas ing the strain on the upper while pressing against it to retain it substantially in the position to which it is pulled, and then subjecting the upper to a further stretching operation and fastening it.

7 2. i That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in subjecting an upper on a last to a preliminary pulling and stretching operation including a longitudinal pull applied at the toe end of the last and a transverse pull applied at the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously, varying at will the relation between the longitudinal tension and the transverse tension, releasing the strain on the upper while retaining it substantially in the position to which it is pulled, and then subjecting the upper to a pulling-over operation and fastening it.

3. That improvement in methods of ,making shoes which consists in subjecting an upper on a last to a preliminary pulling and stretching operation including a longitudinal pull applied at the toe end of the last and a transverse pull applied at the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously, drawing the upper backwardly at the sides of the last to set it over the instep, releasing the strain on the upper while retaining it substantially in the position to which it is pulled, and then subjecting the upper to a pulling-over operation and fastening it.

4. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in subjecting an upper on a last to a preliminary pulling and stretching operation including a longitudinal pull applied at the toe end of the last and a transverse. pull appliedat the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously, pressing the upper against the toe end face and the opposite'side surfaces of the last to retain it in the position to which it is pulled and releasing the pulling strain, and then subjecting the upper to a pulling-over operation and fastening it.

5. That improvement in methods of. making shoes which consists in, gripping the margin of an upper at the toe end and at opposite sides of a last and subjecting the upper both to a longitudinal pull and to a pull applied at the opposite sides of the last simultaneously to draw the margin into proper position for engagement by the grippers of a pulling-over machine, pressing against the toe end and the opposite sides of the shoe to hold the upper in position and then releasing the margin, and presenting the shoe while thus held to a pullingover machine.

6. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in pulling an upper longitudinally on a last while it is free from transverse tension, then pulling the upper transversely at the forepart while holding it under longitudinal tension, releasing the strain on the upper both longitudinally and transversely while engaging it frictionally to retain it substantially in the position to which it is pulled,'and then subjecting the upper to a further stretch-ing operation and fastening it.

, 8. That improvement in methods of mak ing shoes which consists in gripping an upper at the toe end of a last and pulling it longitudinally, gripping the upper and pulling it at the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously after the longitudinal pull has been applied, varying during the appli cation of the transverse pull the tension under which the upper is held longitudinally, releasing the vstrain on-the upper while retaining it substantially in the position to which it is pulled, and then subjecting the upper pulling-over operation and fits tenmg 1t.

9. That improvement in methods of male ing shoes which consists in initially pulling an upper first longitudinally and then transverselyat the two sides of the forepart simultaneously to set the upper into proper position on the last, and then subjecting the shoe to the upper stretching action of a pulling-over machine. 10. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in initially pulling an upper first longitudinally and then transversely at the two sides of the forepart simultaneously to set the upper into proper position on the last, then releasing the pull while retaining the acquired position of the upper on the last, and then stretching the positioned upper by a pulling-over-operation and fastening it.

11. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in positioning an upper upon a last and locating the edges of the upper in proper relation to the bottom edge of the last topermit engagement thereof by pulling-over machine grippers by pulllng the loose upper first longitudinally to set it forwardly about the heel part of the last and to bring the tip into position to be engaged by the grippers of a pullingover machine, then pulling it transversely at the two sides of the forepart simultaneously to draw down to the last any portion that has been bridged from the instep to the toe by the longitudinal pulling and to locate the edges of the upper where they can be conveniently reached by pulling-over side grippers, and then retaining substantially the position of the upper on the last while releasing said longitudinal and transverse pulls and presenting the shoe to the upper stretching action of a pulling-over machine.

12. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in gripping the margin of an upper at the toe end of a last and pulling it in a direction to stretch the upper lengthwise and draw the margin into position to be readily engaged by the toe gripper of a pulling-over machine, gripping and pulling the margin of the upper at the opposite sides of the forepart simultaneously to draw the side edges of the upper into position to be readily engaged by the side grippers of the pulling-over machine, releasing the strain on the upper while retaining the different portions of the margin in the correct relation to the last, and then presenting the shoe to a pulling-over machine and pulling the upper over the last and fastening it.

13. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in gripping the margin of an upper at the toe end of a last and pulling it in a direction to stretch the upper lengthwise and draw the margin into position to be readily engaged by the toe gripper of a pulling-over machine, then while continuing the lengthwise pull gripping and pulling the margin of the upper at the opposite sides of the forepart to draw the side edges of the upperinto position to be readily engaged by the side grippers of the pulling-over machine, pressing against the upper to retain the different portions of the margin in the correct relation to the last and releasing the margin, and then presenting the shoe to a pulling-over machine.

14. That improvement in methods of making shoes which consists in gripping the margin of an upper at the toe and at opposite sides of the forepart and pulling it to stretch the upper and draw the margin into posi tion to be readily engaged by the grippers of a pulling-over machine, then while continuing the pull at all three points engaging the upper frictionally to retain it in its acquired position on the last, and subsequently releasing the margin of the upper and presenting the shoe to a pulling-over machine.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ELI BROTHERS.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, .D. 0. 

